Dream to operate service is reality
Saturday 23rd April 2011, 11:30AM BST.
A two-year dream has turned into a reality for a heritage group hoping to return the railway to a Shropshire town.
Passengers were given a chance to step back in time yesterday as the first train since 1967 left the station in Oswestry.
It was full steam ahead for up to 100 people who attended the launch of the new Cambrian Heritage Railway service, the culmination of two years of hard work.
And despite running half-an-hour behind schedule because of vandalism, organisers failed to let it dampen their spirits.
Nigel Davies, chairman of Cambrian Heritage Railways, said it had taken two-years of hard work, and the dream of seeing trains operate from the main line in Gobowen to Llanyblodwel, was now one step closer to becoming a reality.
The first stretch of fully restored line runs from Oswestry’s Victorian Station Building to the Middleton Road Bridge in the town and is half a mile long.
He said the service would now operate between 11am and 4pm throughout today, tomorrow and Monday.
“It will also operate every weekend and bank holiday over the summer months too,” Mr Davies said.
“Despite the day starting with a slight glitch we managed to get the train running every half-an-hour throughout the day.
“We’ve all worked incredibly hard to get to the point where we are now and I’m just incredibly pleased that we’ve managed to get here.
“We had some very positive feedback from the people who visited yesterday and we have even signed up some new members and volunteers, which is great,” he added.
Nicola Williams from Oswestry, one of the passengers on board the second train yesterday, said: “It’s nice to see that a stretch of the line has been reopened and I hope the bigger plan comes into fruition sooner rather than later,” she said.
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